Departing the manor house and wondering about whether or not to install some permanent staff in the place on the off chance they should return to the locale on a regular basis. the group turns its attention to the nearby city of Yulach. Currently, the city is largely destroyed, with a large contingent of Red Plumes from HIlsfar occupying the southeastern edge of the city and an armed camp of Zhentarim regulars guarding the road leading out of the city to the north. Aerial reconnaissance reveals that trade still exists, but that all wagons headed north are stopped by guard from each faction.Furthermore, it seems that there are independent operators roaming the ruins, or perhaps they are mercenaries working for one (or both) sides.
The decision is made to scout quietly and see what information can be gained on the ground. Following the lead of the mages, the group investigates a few different areas that seem of interest and in one corner of a ruined inn, discovers a secret door hidden in the remains of a fireplace. The hearthstones pivot outward to allow access to an iron ladder bolted to the wall of a worked shaft.
The descent is quick and the group advances through a worked stone corridor, pausing only when they encounter a pair of carved statues that seem awfully intent on keeping them out. The statues are demolished and the party presses onward.
They surprise and slay a group of bandits dressed as vampires, the bandit captain and the flesh golem she commands. That is weird. OK – the room in which the battle took place is also quite strange and shows signs of other combats. The throne overlooking the room is trapped and copious amounts of brainpower are directed towards discovering what it conceals or how it might be neutralized. In the end – meh. They explore further and ransack the bandit captain’s boudoir, finding little of interest. Elulyn is intrigued by these mummers and their role here. Are they here to scare intruders? Is there a real vampire hereabouts? Are there local stories about vampires in the ruins? So many questions!.
Exploration commences and before too long some secret doors are discovered. They can only be successfully neutralized by a gaseous mage, so that gets the group a-wondering about vampires again. A chamber off of a chamber contains an empty casket and a potion vial, The circumstantial evidence points towards the presence of a vampire – but whether or not this vampire is still present is yet to be determined. The vial is purloined, the grave dirt removed from the coffin, swept into a pile and then teleported to the deep jungles of the south.
Further investigation reveals large statues dressed in ancient finery, recalling dim legends of the far flung frozen north and the splendorous cities that dominated the region.
The mage and Goldpiece are exploring the two halves of a broken, yet still magical, staff when the item begins to call for help!
The elf and the mage hesitate for a few seconds until Goldpiece hears the scrape of leather footwear on stone and douses his flaming sword as he and the mage move into position at the base of the central statue. The mage fells two figures in an adjacent hallway with his barrages of magic missiles, which prompts a hasty retreat on the part of the ambushers. The party pursues, and after knocking down a few doors they burst into a room of bandits, the bulk of which they swiftly slay. A few are questioned and found to be extortionists that demand money from adventurers to guide them to a set of stairs to the south somewhere. While the party is engaged, Other bandits manage to flee the scene and the party gives pursuit, chansing a group of lanterns down a long hall and into a trap!
Tentacled brains attempt to slay the party, starting by trying to explode Goldpopiece’s head in the viselike grip of a rubbery tentacle. The brains are slain but there is no sight of the fleeing suspects. Did they flee through this possible portal, or was it an illusion a la Dancing Lights?
They return to exploring the first locale and find a barrack and another possible portal at the end of a dead end section of hallway.
Moving ahead, they explore a room with a glowing blade embedded in a training dummy. It is cursed. Curses! Oh well, maybe it can be eaten by the unicorn staff. They move on, working into adjoining rooms and corridors, finding a few secret doors and hidden passages. they move into a room of pillars with a sunken floor and a high arched ceiling and pause temporarily to assess the situation. It seems prudent to rest and regroup and the extra-dimension al rope space is used for the ‘night’. Come the morning, the adventurers set off once more…
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